Improvement Meaning
/ɪmˈpɹuːvmənt/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe act of improving; advancement or growth; a bettering
nounThe act of making profitable use or application of anything, or the state of being profitably employed; practical application, for example of a doctrine, principle, or theory, stated in a discourse.
Sentence Examples
Little by little, you will notice improvement in your writings.
There is need for improvement in your handwriting.
The economy has shown significant improvement over the past 9 months.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor was happy to see a noticeable ____ in the patient's blood pressure after treatment.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
There has been a noticeable ____ in the patient's condition since she started the new treatment.
Word Origin & History
From Anglo-Norman emprouwement. By surface analysis, improve + -ment.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Exercise is the chief source of improvement in all our faculties."
— 1783, Hugh Blair, Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres:
"Nothing was too small to receive attention, if a supervising eye could suggest improvements likely to conduce to the common welfare. Mr. Gordon Burnage, for instance, personally visited dust-bins and back premises, accompanied by a sort of village bailiff, going his round like a commanding officer doing billets."
— 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XIX, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
"Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers.[…]Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster. Clever financial ploys are what have made billionaires of the industry’s veterans. “Operational improvement” in a portfolio company has often meant little more than promising colossal bonuses to sitting chief executives if they meet ambitious growth targets. That model is still prevalent today."
— 2013 June 22, “Engineers of a different kind”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 70:
"good improvement of his reason."
— 1705, Samuel Clarke, Evidences of Natural and Revealed Religion:
"I shall make some improvement of this doctrine."
— 1681, John Tillotson, A sermon preached at the funeral of the Reverend Mr Thomas Gouge:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor was happy to see a noticeable ____ in the patient's blood pressure after treatment.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
There has been a noticeable ____ in the patient's condition since she started the new treatment.